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Tototlmimus, new ornithomimid from Upper Cretaceous of Sonora, Mexico



Ben Creisler
bcreisler@gmail.com


Ben Creisler
bcreisler@gmail.com



A new paper:


Claudia Inés Serrano-Brañas, Esperanza Torres-Rodríguez, Paola
Carolina Reyes-Luna, Ixchel González-Ramírez, Carlos González-León
(2016) [2015]
A new ornithomimid dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Packard Shale
formation (Cabullona Group) Sonora, México.
Cretaceous Research 58: 49–62
doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2015.08.013
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667115300562



Highlights

New ornithomimid material was collected in the state of Sonora, Mexico.
Morphological and cladistical analysis assigned the specimen to a new
genus and species of ornithomimosaur.
Tototlmimus packardensis is a derived North American ornithomimid that
forms a monophyly with Ornithomimus.
Tototlmimus packardensis is the first definitive ornithomimid
described for Mexico.
This specimen represents one of the southernmost ornithomimid
occurrences in the Western Interior Basin of North America.

Abstract

New ornithomimid material discovered from the Upper Cretaceous Packard
Shale Formation, (Cabullona Group) of Sonora, Mexico is described. The
material includes a partial skeleton, which is assigned to a new genus
and species, Tototlmimus packardensis. This new taxon differs from
other ornithomimids in having five unique characteristics that
separate it from other North American ornithomimids: (1) a
distinctively articulation between metatarsals, where the distal ends
of metatarsals II and IV contact directly with the distal facet of
metatarsal III; (2) a metatarsal III with a weakly ginglymoid distal
articular face; (3) the medial and lateral sides of metatarsal III are
shaped into the form of metatarsals II and IV, so all distal ends fit
together when they articulate; (4) an asymmetrical and narrow pedal
ungual with shallow grooves in both medial and lateral sides; and
finally, (5) the presence of a deep sulcus on the ventromedial edge,
close to the articular end. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that
Tototlmimus packardensis corresponds to a derived ornithomimid
included in the North American clade, forming a monophyly with
Ornithomimus. Tototlmimus packardensis is the first definitive
ornithomimid described for Mexico, and represents one of the
southernmost occurrences in the Western Interior Basin of North
America.